Even though Google’s big October 4 event is still a couple weeks out, it seems we’ve just gotten a really good look at the four most important devices we expect the company to announce there. The leaks come courtesy of Droid Life, and include info and prices on a new, smaller version of the Google Home smart speaker, a new premium 2-in-1 Chromebook, and both the big and small versions of the Pixel 2.
Starting with what should be called the Google Home mini, this $49 smart speaker looks like a direct competitor to Amazon’s Echo Dot. While it clearly won’t have the same level of audio prowess of its bigger sibling (which is already just OK), its low price makes it a much more feasible option for people looking to put a Google Assistant-enhanced device in every room in their home.
According to Droid Life, the Home mini features a hard plastic base with a cloth mesh top that will come in three colors: charcoal, gray, and coral. However, unlike the standard Home, you probably won’t be able to swap out the base with replaceable add-ons in other colors. The four dots on top almost certainly correspond to the colored dots that appear on the current Google Home when you ask it questions, though it remains to be seen if the mini will retain the capacitive touch controls found on the standard model.
Then there’s the new Google Pixelbook, which looks kind of like a Google-branded Surface Book running Chrome OS. It looks to be priced starting at $1,199 for a model with 128GB of storage, and going up to $1,749 for one with a 512GB drive. The main difference between the new Pixelbook and Google’s previous Chromebooks is that this model has a 360-degree hinge that will let it transform into a tablet, along with a touch-sensitive screen with built-in stylus support. It seems Google will even make its own PixelBook Pen, which should arrive as a $99 optional accessory.
As for the two phones, the photos reveal a slightly curvier, more refined take on the Google’s phone from 2016. Droid Life claims the standard Pixel is made by HTC and will come in three colors (blue, black, and white). Customers should have two choices for storage—64GB or 128GB—priced at $649 and $749, respectively.
Meanwhile, the larger LG-made Pixel 2 XL should come in black, white and a two-toned Panda-like color scheme, with reported prices starting at $849. Droid Life didn’t mention anything more about the Pixel 2’s specs, but based on earlier rumors reported by Android Police, we’re probably looking at phones sporting AMOLED displays with extra widescreen 18:9 aspect ratios, Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processors, 4GB of RAM, stereo speakers and new pressure sensitive sides that will let you squeeze the phone to perform certain functions (most likely, summoning the Google Assistant). There will also be a refreshed version of Google’s Daydream VR headset.